This is a violation of Civil Codes, City Charters, Civil Service Procedures, union MOU’s and most importantly…..your trust.

The City of Long Beach recently opened up a job titled “Public Health Professional II”. We bet you knew it was a job with Animal Control just by its name, right? NOT!!!! This strange position was written by the new manager at Animal Care Services, for a Lieutenant at Animal Care Services. This is what the city likes to call “Selective Certification”. This person is the only city employee who is qualified for this position. They are the only person who has experience in all the areas that this position requires. Other animal control employees probably did not apply because they knew they would have no chance in the world. They might be afraid someone might retaliate against them.

Considering that you have been forced to swallow that there are not enough officer’s in the field, would you be happy to hear it took three positions to create this one? Three vacant positions that, by the way, there are 2 current Animal Care Service Employees on the eligible list now! They have no idea why the positions got CUT!!!

We can prove that Long Beach Civil Service, Long Beach Health & Human Services and certain people at Long Beach Animal Care Services are attempting to select a certain candidate for this position before they posted the job bulletin.
This is illegal!

1. Non-Traditional, uncommon and hard to find title for this position. People with any kind of animal experience would not look under “Public Health Professional II” to look for a job with Animal Services.

2. A new position was created so job interest emails would not go out to people requesting “email me if jobs like this become available”. There will be no one interested, there never was a position classified like this before. The only people that would be emailed for this position would be people who are interested in public health jobs. Here’s something interesting – The candidate’s title will really be “Animal Care Program Coordinator”, not “Public Health Professional II”. Look at the application. They gave it an unrelated title so no one would find it, but the actual and more related title is more what a potential and qualified applicant might look under or recognize. This position has very little to do with “Public Health”, its “Animal Health” of “Animal Care” related.

3. Recruitment to other animal control agencies outside the City of Long Beach was not properly performed. Job bulletins were not sent to locations where qualified people work in the surrounding areas. Libraries do not count. The city’s recruitment consisted of putting a bulletin on the city’s website that would never been found by an interested or qualified applicant.

4. Current employees are not eligible. Whoever strategically put this bulletin together knew what they were doing. They picked all of the job requirements that only one person within the City of Long Beach would be eligible/qualified, it was given a non-traditional classification and they made sure no one at other animal control agencies in the area would even consider themselves for the position. If there was another Long Beach Animal Care Services employee eligible, they would be afraid to apply because of possible retaliation. They wouldn’t have a chance. This is just a formality or shall we say, a small hoop that Animal Care Services must jump through due to Civil Service Regulations.

Read the qualifications for this position. Who in the world has experience in all of this at Long Beach Animal Care Services? This is the same person that has made sure they are in control of every aspect of this shelter. I doubt there are too many other people outside this department that would be qualified except the few people that have been in charge of an animal shelter. These qualifications are of a higher expectation than those of the new manager.

Selective hiring like this is illegal and wrong for many reasons. It runs along the same concept as selective breeding in animals.

This is how:

If you use the same gene pool in any species, your offspring are born with the same problems, they tend to have the same characteristics and traits and there is not much variety. Now, use that bit of information when you think about selective hiring. The same type of “selected” employees tend to have the same selective nature, the same color, the same answers, the same resolutions and the same view of the workplace and the world for that matter. These selective people are able to select other selective people and so on and so on. You can compare it to Bulldogs with breathing problems and Rottweilers with Hip Dysplasia.
Narrow gene pools!!!!!!

Not much variety at “The Village” and selective hiring is how you get a 75-80% white workplace in Southern California.

If you doubt anything that is written here, come back in a few weeks and find out who actually landed the job. We know and it’s not because we are psychic.

Below is from the Union MOU.

Is this equal opportunity for advancement? Did they seek dissemination of notices of such vacancies?

Section IV – Selection Criteria for Graded Positions

It is understood that there exists distinguishing characteristics between graded levels
within classifications.
It is also recognized that selection criteria utilized for the selection
of individuals to these graded levels may vary throughout the City.
In order to promote
equal opportunity for advancement, the City and the Union agree to work together in an
attempt to correct any deficiencies in the selection process on an on-going basis, and to
seek dissemination of notices of such vacancies, when appropriate

Below is right from the Long Beach Civil Service Website

NON-DISCRIMINATION

Sec. 2.
Pursuant to Section 1104 of the City Charter, no person employed by or applying for
employment with the City shall be hired, promoted, demoted, dismissed, or in any way favored
or discriminated against for any reason

Service Commission adopts and subscribes to the City's Policy on Affirmative Action listed at the
beginning of these Rules.

Mission Statement

The Civil Service Department treats all customers with integrity, courtesy and respect, and provides quality candidates that reflect our diverse community through a fair and timely employment process.

Initial Source

myspace.com/initialsource

http://www.myspace.com/initialsource

So, when do we get to actually see the investigation. Is Q really NOT coming back???

#559 describes the stressful and busy job of an ACO. These people have a hard job and rarely get the respect that they deserve. LB Animal Control covers a large area, the ACO’s are overworked and have to rush through their calls because there are not enough of them.

The Answer:
* Increase the number of qualified ACO’s at the shelter
* Train them properly
* Treat them with respect so they stay